Weddings are the stuff of fairy tales. Just take a look at Pinterest , and you’ll find yourself lost in an ethereal world of flowers, fluff, and all things pretty. It’s easy to get stuck in dreamland, but all the planning that comes with putting together the wedding of your dreams is just enough to bring every bride-to-be back to reality (which, admittedly, also has its perks). There’s the thrill of scoring that perfect Instagram-worthy wedding venue, the adrenaline rush that comes with searching for THE gown, the surprisingly addicting urge to micro-manage everything, and let’s admit it—all the drama that comes with the entire wedding shebang.

After all, tying the knot is serious business. There will always be paperwork involved, and no one’s off the hook, so it doesn’t matter if you and your man are planning to exchange vows in a church, at a lush garden in Tagaytay, or at a secluded island—you still need to prepare a couple of documents to make your marriage legal. And with all the planning that needs to be done, it’s temptingly easy to overlook a couple of things. So, before you get lost in your own little bubble in Weddingland, better set aside time for preparing all these grown-up, serious, legal stuff. So what do you need to do to make your wedding with your very own Prince Charming officially binding and seriously legit? Take a look at the steps below:

(Photo by Ashley Fisher via Flickr Creative Commons)